Elections for the office of Delaware State Senator will be held in Delaware on November 2, 2010. Senate seats in eleven of Delaware's 21 districts are up for election in 2010. These districts are: 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, and 20.

The primary nomination process for candidates wishing to run in these elections to gain the party's nomination were held at state conventions held by the state's two major political parties in May. Candidates wishing to run as independents could submit nominating signatures up through July 30. The primary election day was September 14, 2010.

In Delaware, senators serve four-year terms with no term limits.

The incumbent senator is running for re-election in 11 of the 11 senate seats up for election in 2010. (100%)

Campaign contributions

This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in Delaware in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[1]

Year

Number of candidates

Total contributions

2008

21

$1,211,435

2006

22

$979,107

2004

16

$883,364

2002

44

$1,485,767

Incumbency

Unopposed incumbents

3 incumbents (27%) face no competition in the November 2 general election and are thus, barring unforeseen circumstances, guaranteed re-election in November.

2 Democratic incumbents face no November challenger.

1 GOP incumbent faces no November challenger.

Primary challenges

Only 2 incumbents facesd competition in the September 14 primary, both of whom won.

Article II, Section 3 of the Delaware Constitution states: No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained the age of twenty-seven years and have been a citizen and inhabitant of the State three years next preceding the day of his election and the last year of that term an inhabitant of the Senatorial District in which he shall be chosen, unless he shall have been absent on the public business of the United States or of this State.